


RWBY Sidequest

by JimblesMcKimbles



Category: RWBY
Genre: Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27510010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JimblesMcKimbles/pseuds/JimblesMcKimbles
Summary: What if Torchwick survived the fall of Beacon? An idea of a subplot. Mostly a OC story





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my rough draft version from a year ago. I may rewrite it at some point, but i wanted to post this version for feedback.

The forests around Vale are pretty quiet. Normally the loudest things are caravans to and from the kingdom. Today, however, the loudest thing is an old tow truck is making its way through a forest. It's a clear fixer-upper, some parts rusted off and others clearly replaced with whatever scrap could be found. Even the tow cable was in rough shape. Inside are two young adults arguing about something. “I don’t like this. Who did you say the tip was from?” asked the driver, clearly the younger of the two. “It’s from Markie, he said some huntsmen were talking about it while waiting for supplies. Markie’s never let me down before, Maggot” responded the older one. “Please stop calling me that, Aaron.” groaned Maggot, pointing the name tag of Daniel sewn into his denim jacket. Aaron smirked “You wanna label yourself as the younger brother somewhere on there too, or only your name? You wouldn't have to talk to anyone if you just sew your life story onto that old jacket.” Daniel responded “I’d still have to deal with you talking 24/7, so there’s no point. We’re here.”

The old truck pulled into the middle of an abandoned town, surrounded by weathered homes. Some were still sound, some had major holes, others had completely collapsed. Aaron pointed to a worn sign reading Heavenside. “Heavenside, according to Markie, hasn’t been touched since it fell. Hopefully some good salvage around here. Aaron and Daniel left the truck, ready to scout the buildings. The two were definitely junkers, wearing torn and ripped clothes with weapons that looked broken in. Daniel was wearing a denim jacket with patches and extra pockets sewn on, a sleeveless white top, and brown cargo pants with more pockets. As if that weren’t clear enough to his profession, he was wearing an extra toolbelt with several tools poking out. He adjusted his goggles as he surveyed the area, holding a hodge-podge looking rifle in one hand. Aaron, on the other hand, might pass for hired muscle if it weren't for his current company. A brown overcoat with a simple harness and no shirt underneath was paired with ripped jeans that clearly were patched several times. The lack of shirt made sense once you saw the large wings that jutted through slits cut in the back of the coat. He tightened the grey metal gauntlets on his arms as he stepped out the truck. They certainly stood out amongst others, but they seemed to make sense in this abandoned village as the junkers they were. 

The two wasted no time claiming anything of value. They found plenty of good materials, including plenty of scrap metal, broken weapons, and some old androids still in good shape. They slowly filled the bed of the truck with various findings, eventually splitting off into separate buildings. Daniel was almost done strapping down the scrap, but Aaron wanted to check one last building. He stepped through a hole in a wall and a shine caught his eyes. Aaron pulled away some rubble from a large pile of stones, sure he saw some glitter of metal. “The longer we’re out here, the more likely they’ll show.” warned his partner from the old vehicle. “You know Maggot, they are drawn to emotions, so if you stay calm they shouldn't bother us.” Aaron called back. He was determined to get something of value from this trip. So far it had all been scrap metal, unusable weapons, and lots of old bones. Aaron just wanted one thing of value from this dump before they left. As he continued to dig through the rubble of a former home, he hoped for some hidden ammo or jewelry, something just to show this trip wasn't a waste. 

While his brother kept digging through rocks and wreckage, Daniel kept his eyes on the horizon. A pack of grimm were wandering through and any attention to them meant they could lose some of the hard-earned salvage or worse, have to fight through them and risk their well-being. “There's a pack of beowolves on the horizon, maybe 10 to 15. We should call it and head back.” Aaron seemed to perk up and turned around to his brother. “There's a floor safe here! Maybe some real good shit…” he turned the handle to no avail. “Rusted shut.” He looked around for a key, or a crowbar, something to open this safe. Daniel looked from the truck to the safe and back to the pack of monsters. “I don't like this… we should really head out…” he cautioned. Aaron shook his head and raised his voice. “We gotta try for it. We need something good or this trip just breaks even. Get over here and try to melt the lock.”  
“I don't think we should. Any major noise could attract those grimm and then we might lose what little we have.”  
Aaron groaned. “I'm not leaving without what's in there Maggot, so you can come try to melt this down, or I'm getting the dust and blowing the door off.”  
“Aaron, you're not seriously gonna use what little dust we have left to open a safe and let all of those beasts hear us?” Daniel looked at his brother's face, seeing a serious look. “Fine, I'll work on it,” he complained, throwing himself out of the truck and grabbing his weapon. “But you keep an eye on that pack there while i work on this.” Daniel pointed at the horizon, but Aaron squinted. “You gotta be kidding me… not all of us have crazy eyes. I can barely make out anything out there.” Daniel’s expression changed from nervous to stern, his brow furrowing. “Aaron, we have binoculars. Just get them from the glovebox.” Aaron started to walk to the passenger side of the truck, leaving Daniel to look at the safe in the building remains.

Daniel took a closer look at the room as he stepped through the ruined wall. He was used to seeing old weathered rooms at this point but he was surprised how broken the furniture was. It looked like a beowulf had torn everything to shreds. The bed was basically tinder for a campfire, and the dresser and table were not much better. He stepped over to the rubble pile his brother was working at, and looked at this floorsafe. It was in very good shape, considering the rest of the room. The rubble on top must have obscured it so other salvagers and grimm couldn't see it easily. Daniel removed his goggles, surveying everything with his insectoid eyes. No signs of other goodies to loot in here, he bent over the safe and started to channel his aura near the handle. Daniel's semblance allowed him to slowly disintegrate any material given enough time and aura. He began to melt the iron near the handle, hoping it would be thinner and go by a bit quicker. He focused on his task, hoping the pack of grimm he spotted earlier would continue to be oblivious.

Aaron opened the door of the truck and grabbed the binoculars, turning the direction Daniel pointed before. Sure enough, there was the pack he had mentioned. Aaron sighed. Daniel's eyes were better at seeing motion from far away, but he was always so cautious. Unless some major noise or some strong emotions came from where they were, the grimm had no reason to come by the ruined village they were scrapping. Aaron double-checked the truck, making sure they could leave once Maggot had opened the safe. All the salvage was strapped down, he had the key, the cable release was creaky but still opened, the road was clear. He took a breath and loosened the tension on his shoulders. Aaron’s wings slowly flexed as he stretched, their black feathers contrasting his brown overcoat. He was ready to go but needed this last loot to make a profit. The last couple trips had been duds and he was tired of not getting anything from these trips but junk and fights with grimm. Hopefully if the safe had some valuables in it, he could afford to get both Daniel and his weapons repaired with some new materials. He smiled at the thought, looking at his gauntlets. They were worn and torn, the metal chambers for dust were chipped and the knuckles especially were dented out from the last fight with a nevermore. The large bird grimm had spotted them trying to get some people from a caravan to safety. Aaron had managed to pin a wing so it couldn't fly away while Daniel dealt the final blow, but the hard beak had done a number to the metal plates on his hands. Aaron was suddenly brought back to reality when an explosion rang out from the building Daniel was in. “DANIEL!” He yelled as he sprinted to the home his brother was in.

Aaron leaped through the hole in the wall to see a blasted open safe and Daniel lying against a wall on the other side of the room. He ran and slid to his brother's side. “Come on buddy, talk to me!” Aaron grabbed his brother's wrist to check for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling it as strong as ever. He gently tapped his brother's face. “Maggot, you can't take a nap right now, we gotta go.” No response. He tried an actual slap to the cheek, resulting in Daniel jolting awake. “Oh thank Oum...:” Aaron uttered. “You alright?” Daniel groaned and rubbed the back of his head. “Headache, but yeah ill be fine. What happened?” he asked. Aaron looked around, “well, it looks like it came from the safe.” He bent down, looking into the ruined box. He noticed a shadow of a box etched onto the side near the handle and a smaller black box still intact inside. “Looks like a bomb set to blow when the safe was opened.” He picked up the smaller box inside “Probably to protect this.” Daniel slowly stood up. “Well, you got the safe open. Can we head out?” Before Aaron could say yes, a loud roar was heard from outside. Aaron winced, “yeah we should probably try to leave before more come around.” Aaron took Daniel’s arm over his shoulders and started to walk outside with his brother.

Upon stepping outside, Aaron and Daniel saw a pack of beowolves lining up at the top of the road. They were slowly prodding around, looking for whatever made the sound that attracted them. Aaron put Daniel’s arm down, “How do you want to do this?’ Daniel looked around. “Too many to fight, but enough to block the roads. Maybe try to break a hole and outrun them?” Aaron nodded. “I can make a hole if you’re ok to drive.” Daniel nodded back and started to carefully walk to the truck. Aaron cracked his neck and started to walk into the middle of the road. He double-checked the ties on his gauntlets and readied himself. He just wanted to draw the grimm to one side and then catch the truck to run outta town. He whistled at the few grimm at the end of the road. They all quickly saw him and started to advance. “Alright fellas, i just need to check your licenses.” Aaron taunted. The grimm just growled as they began to go full speed at him, ready for blood. He started to sprint forward to meet the opposing forces, knowing he just had to delay them for a short time. The first beowulf pounced, claws first. Aaron jumped, starting the fight with a roundhouse kick to the face. Landing square on the side of its snout. This knocked the grimm away, only to be replaced with two more, aiming to bite whatever is in reach. Aaron sidestepped the bites and countered with a right hook, hitting one and throwing it into another. They were knocked into a wall and were stunned for a short while. Suddenly, the first beowulf came back into the fray, frantically swiping at Aaron. He managed to block most of the hits with his gauntlets, but the final swing smacked Aaron through a wall and back into the room with the safe. Aaron shook his head and grabbed a piece of splintered wood, ready for the grimm to come after him. Sure enough, it busted thru the new hole in the wall and tried to scratch him. Aaron ducked the swipe and pushed the wood spike through the grimm’s head. It slumped over and began to evaporate away. Aaron ran back though the hole and heard a truck horn go off. He looked over to see Daniel speeding down the road though the new opening. He saw Daniel push a button and raced over to where the truck would be. He let the truck rush by as he heard the tow cable be released from the back of the truck. He saw the two beowolves he hit earlier running over, snarling. As the truck’s end came closer, he grabbed the cable and hooked it into his harness. Aaron opened his wings and was pulled away from the grimm, soaring above their reach. He watched from above as the grimm pack started to chase the truck, only to be left behind as Daniel raced away from the old village. He laughed to himself as he was slowly reeled back down to the truck itself. It felt great to have a trip go reasonably, even if they still had to fight off some grimm. He pulled himself to the bed of the truck and untied the cable from his harness. He gave Daniel a thumbs up and lounged on top of the scrap they had collected. He picked up the box from the safe, wondering what was so important someone would rig it to explode. He opened it to find a data drive labelled “PRIVATE”. ‘Well then’, Aaron thought, ‘lets see what's so private then.’


	2. Chapter 2

The old truck pulled into a junkyard outside a small village. Aaron jumped over the side of the truck and started to unload the haul from Heavenside. Daniel stepped out of the driver’s seat and started to help his brother. “So what was in the safe that we got attacked for?” he asked. Aaron pulled out the drive and passed it over. “This drive,” he sighed, “not what i was hoping for, but maybe something good on it.” Daniel put down the scrap he was carrying and groaned. “We risked everything for a drive? What could even be on there of worth?” Aaron shrugged as he got the last load of the truck. “I don't know, maybe some information for the owner? Maybe they’d pay for it back. Or maybe some blueprints we could use?” Daniel handed off the last bag of broken tools to Aaron. “that's a long shot, but maybe. I can look through it while you run the rest to Markie.” Aaron swapped the bag for the drive and nodded. “Go ahead, it shouldn’t be long. Ill be back soon.” Daniel walked into the house while Aaron set off into town.

The town of Sumire was a quiet area, just south of Beacon academy. It was a small town, with few shops and some homes. As Aaron walked through the streets to Markie’s forge, he passed the Winston’s store and the train station. He knew the streets well, despite living on the outskirts and constantly going on salvage trips and huntsman missions. He finally approached Markie’s forge, looking at the old building. Aaron always liked the old man, always direct and honest, even if he haggled a bit too much for the salvage Aaron brought him. As the door closed behind Aaron, he heard Markie rustling in the back. He waited as Markie turned the corner into view. A hearty laugh and a clunk of metal on wood was heard as he left the forge proper. “Aaron, you son of a bitch, you’re back!” Markie laughed and gave Aaron a handshake. “How was the haul? Whatcha got for me?” Aaron smiled and started pulling the tools out of the bag. “Lots of broken weapons for a settlement, and some tools that still hold up. The tip was good, even if we had to fight some grimm for it.” Markie had picked up a broken stun baton and was eyeballing the cracks. “These are good, basic repair, easy resells.” Markie muttered to himself. “The tools are in good shape, but older. How about 1500 lien for it all?” Aaron shot the blacksmith a look. “Markie, this haul is good. Last haul this size got 2000.” Markie smirked. “Maybe, but I still gotta repair all of it and resell. 1600.”  
“You keep using the same excuses, but we’ve done this dance before. 1850.”  
“It may surprise you, but the reasons are the same because unlike your joy rides through old ruins, I do things consistently. 1700.”  
“1800, Markie. My joyrides keep you in business.”  
Markie smiled and put down a bundle of lien. “1800. You know Aaron, if you hadn’t been stuck here years ago, I'd still be in business without your scrap shop.”  
Aaron took the lien and laughed. “Really? You’re a good fighter, but I have the license to back my skills. I'm sure the kingdom would have loved to tear down this place without an official huntsman living here.”  
Markie put an arm on the bar and sighed. “Maybe, but just because my leg is bad doesn't mean I can't still put you youngsters in your place. But enough of that, any other business for me? I’d love to put some of that lien back in my till.”  
“Nothing right now. Gonna see Maggot and come back tomorrow for repairs we can’t manage. You know he doesn't like others messing with his creations.”  
“That brother of yours still owes me a new android after he busted the last one. I miss the extra hands.”  
“He was trying to help, and he’s trying to find some better hands for it. You remember, after you accidentally poured molten metal on it?”  
Markie grumbled and walked off. Aaron was familiar with the blacksmith, being one of the first members of the town with him. As Aaron walked back, he remembered being stuck here as a guardian while the town was being built. After a nasty attack that took Markie’s leg, the kingdom wanted to stop building, but Aaron and the rest of the town were persistent on getting their own land. One of the kingdom’s conditions was that Aaron would be a resident. It wasn't completely bad, as he set up a scrap shop and helped the town form. But he never got to be a true huntsman, only operating in a certain vicinity and having to leave his team from Beacon. Aaron reflected as he walked home, wondering if things would change or if they would stay the same.

Daniel stepped into the house as Aaron left to sell the weapons and tools. Daniel turned on the lights and looked around. The home looked ramshackle, with simple furniture and messy countertops, covered in various papers and other materials. Daniel walked through the main room and kitchen and into his workshop. He flipped the switch for the power and heard the various tech and machinery slowly hum to life. Daniel sighed as he put his weapon on the chair and walked towards the partly open android on his workbench. He turned the power on and started to gather materials. He still needed to fix this for Markie, after he tried to improve the motor speed and it wound up overheating the processor. It was an older AK-130 model, but Markie was convinced he didn't need a new one and Daniel offered to fix it. The AK-130 finally had booted up and was sitting up on the workbench. “Boot-up completed. P-43 online. Loading personality matrix.” The android turned to Daniel. “My chestplate is open. Have my repairs been completed?” Daniel put down some circuit boards and tools on the bench and looked inside the android. “Not yet, P-43. Almost there, just need to put these boards in to harmonize with your new hands. I booted you up to double check the diagnostic once I'm done. ” P-43 looked at the more human-like hands he had. They were newer, but painted black to match the rest of the body it was attached to. “Interesting.” P-43 said, “These are from an AK-200 model. Much more flexible.” Daniel chuckled. “Glad you approve. I hope Markie appreciates it. Fought a nevermore on that trip and it broke Bootlegger.” He gestured towards his weapon. “Had to re-weld the main barrel after that.” Daniel put the last board in place and closed the chestplate. “There we are. Please run a diagnostic and then we can test them out.” P-43 quietly whirred and buzzed as the main light on the face of the went dim for a minute. “Nothing out of place. All systems operational.” Daniel grabbed a stress ball and lobbed it to P-43. “Alright then, test them out.” P-43 caught the ball and tossed it back and forth with Daniel a couple times. Daniel grinned. “Love to see everything work out. I’ll do a stress test later and then we can get you back to Markie tomorrow. Feel free to walk around, make sure the rest of you is working fine. I gotta check this drive.” Daniel walked over to his computer and pulled the data drive from his pocket. P-43 stood up and walked behind Daniel. “Data drive? Where did you find that?” Daniel put the drive into the computer and started to load the files. “In a safe in Heavensdale. The safe was rigged to explode so however this belongs to must not trust others.” Daniel grunted as the monitor showed a password prompt. “Well that means they REALLY don't trust others. P-43, grab the disc from the workbench for me please.” P-43 went and grabbed it. “What do you need the disc for?” Daniel put it into a disc reader and started to type code in a separate window. “It has a password cracker on it. Helpful when your job is dealing with other tech others throw away. I should be able to bypass the password as long as the owner didn’t put on any extra security. Just need to tell the drive I can see the files and…” The computer beeped as a window of files was brought up. “Bingo, now let’s see.” Daniel saw some maps of an old buried section of Vale, a train track, some encrypted files, and a video file. Daniel played the video and kept searching the drive while it played.


	3. Chapter 3

The video started with static, then faded into a scene of old buildings. Lots of rocks and construction equipment were scattered in the background as a White Fang member appeared on screen. They spoke quietly, “I’ve got time, just need to hide the drive afterwards.” Even with the mask covering their face, they appeared nervous. They now looked at the camera and frowned. “If you are watching this, then hopefully this got to someone who can help. On this drive are all the files I could grab for Torchwick’s plan. I don’t like that this human is in charge and I don't know how this is helping our cause. That’s all i'm saying.” The video cut off after that. Daniel was a bit concerned. The more he read the files, the more the plans showed an attack planned. The strangest part, though, was that Daniel recognized the attack. Because it had happened a couple of months ago.

Aaron came in through the front door. “I’m back.” He un-strapped his gauntlets from his arms, stepping into the workshop. He saw his brother pouring over his computer and Markie’s android, P-43, slowly picking up trash from the floor. He slowly came up behind him and rested his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel jumped, and quickly turned, just to breathe out in relief. “You can’t sneak up on me like that!” Aaron laughed. “Maybe you shouldn't be so absorbed in your screen. P-43 was probably bored to death with you zoned out.” Daniel looked to P-43. “Oh shit, sorry P-43, you can shut down now.” P-43 nodded and laid back on the workbench, powering down. Aaron gestured to the screen. “Did you figure out what was on the drive?” Daniel scooted his chair back and gestured to the screen. “Well, you remember that train that drove into inner Vale a few months back?” Aaron raised his eyebrow. “Sure, that Torchwick guy used an old tunnel and brought grimm in. Why?” “Well, this drive is filled with plans for that. Apparently a whistleblower copied the data to give to someone but then we salvaged it from Heavensdale.” Aaron looked closer at the data on screen, looking for some reason for the drive to be in their hands. “Ok, but the White Fang is behind this too? The news just said that Torchwick was acting alone. And why would the White Fang listen to some human criminal? And who was this guy trying to get the files to?” Daniel shook his head. “I’m still decrypting some of the files but apparently this section of the White Fang worked for Torchwick. No reason so far. As for who it’s for, they never said. Only wanted to get the files to someone important.” Aaron shook his head. “This is way behind our paygrade. Not to mention a few months too late. Anything else of note?” Daniel pointed to a loading bar. “This last file is called ‘Phase 3’, with the rest being named Phase 2. Maybe some future plans? I’m waiting for the computer to finalize before I can read it.” Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. “Should we take this to someone? Maybe Ironwood or Ozpin? They would be able to do something.” “Well, it’s still decrypting, so i can’t take the drive out yet. But once it's done, we could see about getting it to someone. I just don't want to seem suspicious and get on some list.” Aaron looked at the progress bar. It claimed it would take about a day to decrypt. “Well either way we have to wait til tomorrow, so let's see what the file says then. Let's call it a night. I grabbed take-out on the way home.” Daniel smiled. “Sounds good. We haven't eaten since this morning.” 

Aaron led Daniel out of the workshop and opened up the containers, revealing warm noodles. “Tell you what,” said Aaron through the food in his mouth, “The Vytal Festival is coming up this week at Vale. If we go, then we can drop off the drive and see the tournament. Win-win for us.” Daniel bowed his head in thought. “You think we can just drop in on someone like that? Especially during a tournament?” “Why not? I’m sure once we mention the stuff on it, I'm sure they’ll want it. Also, we just gotta drop it off, we don't know anything else about it. Worse case scenario, we slide it under the door with a note.” Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe we should just forget it. People who know too much usually end up on the run or worse.” “Maggot, I’ll be honest. I don't like the idea of walking into an office with someone with terrorist plans and a lacking explanation, but I also don't want to have it here and get someone else in trouble for what we dug up. Also, depending on what's on that ‘Phase 3’ file, the next thing the White Fang planned for could be prevented.” Daniel sighed. “You’re right. Maybe I’ve just been watching too many outlaw movies.” Aaron looked at the clock and yawned. “We should go to bed. We might have a big day tomorrow.” Aaron and Daniel walked into a back room covered by a large curtain. Inside were the two hammocks the brothers slept in. Aaron crawled into one as Daniel stretched. “Maybe we could get a reward for turning it in? Finally expand our shack to include another bedroom?” Aaron laughed. “The huntsman jobs I get from their boards barely cover our expenses. I doubt the kingdom just wants to hand out money.” “Well, i can dream. Night, Aaron.” “Night, Daniel” Aaron looked out the window at the broken moon above as he fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Aaron woke up with the sun shining in his face. He slowly sat up and stretched his arms, then his wings. It had been a few days since they found the drive and the info on it, and it was time to take it to the people in charge. Aaron yawned as he started the coffee maker and stared at the fridge for breakfast. Nothing but the usual leftovers greeted him on the other side. He decided to grab something from the festival instead and went to the bathroom to shower. He passed Daniel as he walked by. “Hey, is that android you made ready? I decided to leave early and grab food at the festival before we hand off the drive.” Daniel yawned back, slowly blinking his eyes. Aaron chuckled. “Go get some coffee, I'll ask again when you fully wake up.” Daniel shuffled to the kitchen while Aaron shut the bathroom door behind him. As Daniel drank from his mug, his eyes lit up. “Oh right…” Daniel walked to his workshop and yelled from the door. “Aaron, we gotta drop off Markie’s android too. I’ll get them both up and running.” Aaron turned on the lights and walked over to get things ready. He turned switches on both the androids and they slowly whirred to life. P-43 finished his wake-up and looked around. “It’s early in the morning. Is it time to go back?” Daniel nodded. “Yup, you’re all fixed and ready for Markie. Can you wait in the living room while I get K-64 powered up?” P-43 got up and walked towards the door while Daniel did some final tuning to his other bot. “K-64 online. Running optimally. Running convocation subroutines.” K-64’s eyes powered on as it saw Daniel rummaging in its chest. “Daniel? It’s early. Why am I on?” Daniel turned around and connected some wires from K-64 into a terminal. “Aaron and I got to head into Vale to finish some business. I’m leaving you in charge of the store while we’re gone. Just double-checking everything before we leave.” Daniel finished his coffee and turned back to K-64. “Do me a favor and check your memory. Everything still looks right?” K-64’s eyes turned dim as he began to scan. “Everything is the same as last time.” Daniel removed the wires from K-64 as the android stood up. “When will you two be back?” “Probably 3-4 days. Depends on how long it takes to see... “ Daniel paused, trying to remember who they were giving the drive to. “Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon.” Aaron added, standing in the doorway wearing a robe. “He’s the one in charge, or at least, can get it to whoever needs it.” Daniel nodded. “That's the guy. In the meantime, you’re running the shop. Any questions you don't know, just call us. Now go on over.” K-43 walked towards the door, heading to the junkyard. “You know, we could just close up.” Aaron said, “Not like we get many people asking for scrap anyway.” Daniel shrugged it off. “I built this bot just to run the shop. Let someone else run it for a couple days, it won't fall apart.” Daniel walked by Aaron to go shower. Aaron sighed. “Fair point. Once you’re ready, we’ll drop off Markie’s android and head out.”

The town was quiet as usual as the old tow truck drove through the street. It stopped right in front of Markie’s forge as the doors opened up. It certainly was an odd sight, two faunus and an android walking up to the business. The doorbell rang as Aaron, followed by Daniel and P-43, walked in the main lobby. One other man was waiting in the lobby, reading from his scroll. Aaron rang the bell on the counter and looked around. “Markie? We got your android for ya. Come look when you can.” Aaron, Daniel, and P-43 sat down across from the other man and waited. The man looked up and lowered his brow. “Don’t workers normally come in through the back? You’re dirtying up the lobby.” Aaron looked back at this man. He had an air of importance, like he thought he was hot shit. Blonde hair, a clean designer shirt, and some shiny boots really added to his image of a white-collar worker. “We don’t work here, just dropping off his android.” Aaron gestured to P-43. The man put down his scroll. “Sorry, just the vibe you give off, I suppose.” “Humor me, what vibe do i give off then? Since apparently you think you're the greatest thing since sliced bread?” Aaron asked, annoyed. The man scoffed, “You tell me, what do you think of two faunus wearing patchwork clothes and an android with make-shift parts?” Daniel tried to grab Aaron’s shoulder, but was pushed off as Aaron stood up, flexing his wings. “We can’t all suck up to daddy to get whatever newest fashion. Some of us work for a living instead of suckling off daddy’s bank account.” Aaron retorted. The man stood up as well, clearly angry. “Listen Bird-boy, your grungy wings aren’t going to intimidate a proper huntsman. You and your bug-eyed friend there are just junkers, forever groveling with the scrap, where you belong.” Daniel again tried to pull Aaron back, only to be pushed aside as Aaron got right up into this man’s face. “Proper huntsman? If you want to see a huntsman in action, let’s head outside and you can see me kick your ass. Really show you how a huntsman fights?” The man cracked his neck. “I see, looks like the kingdom is desperate if you count as a huntsman. Why not swing right now if you're so confident you’ll win?” “You’d like that? Then you could call it self-defense and try to blubber to the cops that you’d never start anything like that? If you want to fight, I’ll give you the first punch.” Aaron pointed to his cheek, taunting the man. Suddenly, a loud thud broke the air and Markie was standing right next to them both. “I suggest you both back up, I don't take kindly to people starting fights in my shop.” Aaron stepped back, still glaring at this man. Markie handed a bag to him. “Your armor, Max. Now you best move along, or this’ll be the last repair you get from me.” Max took the bag, still tense, and started to walk to the door. “If you work with these… animals, maybe I won't come back.” Aaron started to step after him, but was stopped by a hand on his wing. “Don’t. He ain’t worth the trouble.” Markie quietly said, with a firm grip on the top of his wing. Aaron saw Daniel and took a deep breath. “Sorry Markie. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Markie let him go and sighed. “You have a right to stand up for yourself, but starting fights with goons like that just nets you in trouble.” 

Daniel finally spoke up. “We have P-43 back for you!” he said, changing the subject. “I even found better hands from a newer model, and it should work better than ever.” Markie smiled and looked it over. “It looks better than when I gave it to you. What do I owe ya?” Daniel thought it over. “Well realistically i just put on new hands and convinced them to work with the older model. How about 750?” Markie handed over a stack of lien. “Here’s 800. You always undersell yourself, kid.” Aaron laughed, “How come i have to haggle all the things i bring, but he gets a bonus for doing nothing?” Markie gave a skeptical look. “Because he brings me a fixed android and you bring me a bag of broken tools! Bring me something that i don't have to fix and i won't have to haggle you!” Aaron shook his head. “Well, don't break it immediately, because we aren't going to be around to fix it soon.” Daniel nodded along as P-43 walked into the back of the shop. Markie shot a look at Aaron. “And where are you heading that takes priority over the scrap heap? Another lead? Maybe a huntsman gig?” Daniel looked at his watch. “We’re headed for the festival at Vale, and we’re running late. We should head out soon.” Markie laughed. “Personal time, huh? Have fun out there.” Markie wandered to the back of his shop as the brothers got back into the truck. Markie smiled to himself. He may give them a hard time, but he still respected them starting a business and helping Sumire become a full-fledged town. He looked out the window as the old truck drove out of town, feeling a sense of contentment.


	5. Chapter 5

The drive through the woods outside Vale was nothing fancy, but the walls around the city were large and intimidating. All the better to keep grimm out, but still imposing to any outsiders. Daniel looked ahead to see the gate in the wall. He was surprised to see several androids alongside the human guard. “They must be extra cautious because of the breach. Look at the pack of droids up there.” Aaron squinted. “Great. As if it didn’t take long enough to get in.” They slowed as they reached the gap in the wall. The guard came up to the window. Aaron handed him his huntsman license. The guard checked it, headed it back, and smiled. “Just need to do a quick sweep of your truck here. Should only take a minute.” He waved at one of the droids, who began to walk along the vehicle, scanning it. The guard leaned on the side of the door. “So you guys here for the tournament? You just missed round one.” Aaron nodded. “Yeah? Any teams to keep an eye on?” The guard scratched his chin. “The one that caught my eye was, uh, JNPR. The leader seems a bit off, but those ladies could handle the other team on their own. Also the team RWBY has this blonde chick, I'm betting on her for finals. Real feisty.” The android beeped and started to walk away from the car. The guard stood up straight. “Welp, the scan's clean. Have a good day, man.” Aaron drove into the parking garage near the wall. Daniel groaned. “Why can’t we park closer? This walk is going to take forever.” Aaron found a spot on the ground floor and backed in. “Because i can guarantee city parking is going to be a pain, especially with the truck. Now come on Maggot, we gotta find the head honcho and get this drive dealt with.” Aaron stepped out and started to close the door, then saw his brother's weapon still in the rack. “Grab Bootlegger, Daniel, just in case. Just put it in the bag.” Daniel groaned again, but started to disassemble Bootlegger to put it into a carrying case. “You’re lucky, your weapon can just hang off your wrists. I gotta make this easier to carry.” Aaron laughed as his brother slung the bag over his shoulder. “I can’t believe you haven’t done it already. Every time you have to bag it, you complain.” The two left the entrance of the garage and started to walk towards the festival grounds. “Hey, let's grab food first! We still haven’t eaten today.” Daniel said. Aaron nodded. “Sure, we’ll grab some food, but after that we gotta get the drive to Ozpin.” They walked through the city, following the sound of people to the festival grounds.

The festival grounds were packed with people, all searching for something. Some looked for friends, or cool things to buy from vendors. At the moment, the two brothers were looking for some food at a decent price. They finally settled for deep-fried sausages with “Liquid Dust” to drink. They sat at a nearby table to eat. The “Liquid Dust” turned out to be just regular soda with small candies in it, but it still tasted good. As they ate, Daniel heard someone grumbling nearby. He looked around to see a younger girl with dark red hair trying to fix something. Daniel couldn’t see the whole thing, but it looked to be some form of sniper. Next to her was a black-haired girl with a large bow on top of her head. She was buried in a book and seemed to be ignorant of her friend’s plight. Aaron looked up from his sausage to see his brother looking at these girls. He coughed, causing his brother to turn and look at him, and then raised an eyebrow. Daniel sighed and discreetly pointed at the weapon the girl in red was working on. Aaron jerked his head to her, trying to encourage his brother to go talk to her. Daniel saw a trash can close to the girl’s table, gathered his trash, and started to walk over. Daniel glanced over at the girl’s weapon as he threw away his garbage. He saw the part in question the girl was working on and realized that she was trying to unjam the chamber. Daniel stepped closer and cleared his throat. The girl jumped and her friend’s eyes jumped over to him. “Sorry for interrupting, but are you trying to unjam the chamber?” The girl blinked, then seemed to jump back into reality. “Oh yeah! It got jammed during my last match and i can’t seem to get it back to normal.” Daniel nodded and pointed to the back half. “Try pulling the receiver out. Sometimes it messes with the magazine.” The girl pulled the part out and smiled. “That’s what it was! Thanks!” Daniel grinned back. “No problem. Can i sit here?” “Oh yeah, of course. I’m Ruby by the way, and this is Blake.” The book girl, Blake, nodded and went back to her book. Daniel waved to Blake and turned back to Ruby. “So you were in a match? We just pulled into Vale today.” Ruby beamed. “Yeah, we got into round 2! We still are figuring out who to send for it, but I’m just glad we made it!” Ruby unfolded part of her weapon, with a part of the blade shining out. Daniel looked closer into the weapon. “Wait… does your weapon unfold into a blade? That’s so cool! I’ve been trying to rework mine to fold but i can’t get it to move back and forth smoothly.” Ruby caught onto Daniel’s enthusiasm. “Ya! I built Crescent Rose myself! I use springtraps to move the parts easier, but it depends on your design. Are you a huntsman? Do you have your weapon on you?” Daniel moved his bag on the table and brought out Bootlegger in pieces. “Ol’ Bootlegger isn’t as fancy as yours, but it’s easier to swap out parts if I need to.” Ruby’s eyes shone as she started to talk weapons with Daniel. 

Aaron watched this happen as he sipped his Liquid Dust, smiling as his brother talked to other people. Aaron tried not to be over-bearing to his brother, but he did want to see him find other friends and be social. He let him talk for another few minutes, checking the tournament info on his scroll, then got up. He walked over and found Ruby sketching out a design on a scrap of paper. He put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder and introduced himself. “Hey, I hope my brother hasn’t been bothering you. He gets really into his works.” Ruby shook her head. “No, we’ve been talking about designs for Bootlegger. I think a folding design could work great but you would need some quality spring locks to have it snap open smoothly.” Daniel nodded. “I think this is a great design, just need time to get the parts soon.” The group of them suddenly heard a yell from the other side of the area. “RUBY! BLAKE! WHERE ARE YOU?” Two more girls, one blonde and one with white hair, seemed to be looking for the girls at the table. Blake looked at her scroll. “We’re late for the practice round. We should go.” Ruby looked at the clock and her eyes widened. “Crap, you’re right. We need to go.” They stood up and Blake started to walk away. Ruby took a step, stopped, and turned around. “We should share contacts! I want to see Bootlegger when you upgrade it!” Daniel stammered. “O-o-oh, ok, y-yeah.” They quickly swapped numbers and then Ruby disappeared into the crowd. “Alright loverboy, we gotta go too.” Aaron smirked, bumping his brother’s arm. Daniel got red. “Shut up! We’ve only had one talk!” Aaron wrapped his arm around his brother and led him down the road. “Don’t worry, with any luck you’ll run into your girlfriend again.” He showed the festival standings on his scroll, with the pictures of the girls they just met on the list. “It looks like team RWBY is going strong for round two.” Daniel and Aaron watched clips of the last round as they walked towards Beacon Academy.


	6. Chapter 6

Beacon Academy was emptier than usual, probably due to the tournament. The brothers stepped around the construction near the entrance and kept walking for the main tower. Daniel got anxious as they approached the lobby. Aaron saw the concern on his brother’s face and touched his shoulder. “We just gotta drop this off. After that we leave.” Daniel smiled back and looked around. “Where is Ozpin’s office? Top floor, you reckon?” Almost on cue, a blonde woman and greying black-haired man pushed them aside. “Come on, Glynda. Ozpin is waiting on us.” the man said. They took an elevator just off the main lobby and the brothers watched it go up to the top. Aaron followed them to the elevator, pressed the elevator button and nodded. “Makes sense to me. I just hope he’ll be open to talk.” The elevator was coming down and quickly shot by, going deeper into the building. “I didn’t know this building had a basement.” Daniel pondered aloud. Aaron shrugged, “Probably just full of old files and junk.” The elevator came back up after a minute and opened. The brothers walked in and pressed the highest number on the list. As they rose up, Daniel raised a concern. “Are we allowed to be here?” Aaron scratched his chin. “I don't see why not. Surely someone would have stopped us before we took the elevator. We’re essentially mailmen.” The doors opened as the elevator chimed. They were standing in a large room surrounded by large gears. The floor seemed to be a large clock and a single desk was on the other side of the room. The brothers slowly stepped towards the desk, taking in the room. Aaron closed in on the desk while Daniel looked out the large window behind it. “It’s a nice view. You can see out to the training grounds from here.” The training grounds, the courtyard of Beacon, even the outer walls were visible from the top floor office. Aaron looked over the papers on the desk, seeing names of students and layouts of dorms. “This is definitely Ozpin’s office,” Aaron concluded, “But he must be busy with the tournament.” Aaron looked for a blank piece of paper. “I guess we’ll just leave it here with a note.” Daniel came over to help look. “Maybe he keeps scrap paper in a drawer.” As he reached for the top drawer, the elevator chimed again. The brothers looked up to see Ozpin, alongside a middle-aged man with black hair.

Without a moment to say anything, the black haired man charged forward and swung a fist at Daniel, knocking him against the window. Aaron tried to swing back in retaliation, but was blocked and pushed back to the wall as well. Aaron tried to stand back up, only to be met by the end of this man’s blade. “You shouldn’t be snoopin around other people’s offices.” the man spoke, the smell of alcohol coming off his breath. “I can smell the booze on your breath dude, you might want to stop drinking.” Aaron retorted. “Qrow.” Ozpin finally spoke. The man, presumably named Qrow, looked back and saw Ozpin stare him down. Qrow sighed and put his blade away. “I apologize for my friend here, he’s… cautious of new people.” Ozpin walked around and put out a hand. Aaron took it and stood up. “That’s a hell of a way to show caution.” Qrow narrowed his eyes but kept silent. Ozpin then helped Daniel up and sat behind his desk. “I am curious how you got here though. Normally the elevator is locked out to people.” “We just pushed the button after two others were coming up here. We didn't realize it was locked.” Daniel explained. Aaron added, “Yeah, Blondie and Salt-n-pepper cruised on by. Mentioned your name.” Qrow chuckled at the nicknames, but Ozpin was straight-faced as ever. “They must have forgotten to lock it after coming up. But I'm still curious why you two were in my office. I normally don’t have people coming I don't expect.” Aaron rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, sorry, just get this to someone in charge.” He pulled the drive out of his inner coat pocket and placed it on the desk. “We found it in Heavensdale and found some…” Aaron paused, looking for the right term. Daniel chimed in. “White Fang plans. About the breach a while back.” Ozpin raised an eyebrow and put the drive into a computer under the desk. A hologram screen popped up, showing the same files Daniel had unencrypted at home. Qrow stretched his back and yawned. “This is great and all, but other than a recap, why did this need to go straight to Oz?” Daniel pointed at the last folder, labeled Phase 3. “According to this drive, they have more planned. I haven’t read it yet but we figured Ozpin could get this to where it needs to be.” Ozpin opened the last folder and inside were several pictures. Pictures of torchwick talking to some girl with pink and brown hair. Blueprints of some robot. The layout of the festival grounds. Aaron frowned as he combed over the images on the screen. “This just adds more questions. Who is that girl? Or the robot? Why would they need a layout of the festival?” Qrow looked at Ozpin, who seemed deep in thought. “Oz? Maybe we should talk about this? Alone?” Ozpin put his hand to his chin. “Perhaps. I don’t believe I caught your names.” Aaron and Daniel pulled out their Huntsman licenses. “Aaron and Daniel Black, Huntsmen.” Aaron said. Ozpin scribbled something down and stood up. He walked around and shook their hands. “Thank you for this information. I will get this to the right people. And I’ll even consider this a Huntsman job, so expect some pay in a few days time. Anything else?” Aaron shook his head. “No, just that.” “Excellent, now i need to make some calls, so if you’ll see yourselves out.” Ozpin walked back behind his desk as Aaron and Daniel stepped into the elevator. The doors shut and the brothers breathed a sigh of relief as it went down to the lobby.

As the doors shut, Qrow turned to Ozpin. “So, Oz, how did two nobodies get insider info before we knew about it?” Ozpin pulled up a Huntsman registry with the two young men. The two’s headshots filled the screen as a paragraph of info rose below them. “Just outside Vale. A town called Sumire. They both passed the exam with no schooling, just experience.” Qrow groaned. “So two young kids just happen to find this drive and decide to waltz up to your front door? Either the worst luck or they have an agenda.” “Maybe. But in the meantime, let's focus on our seasonal issue.” Ozpin replied. Before either could say anything else, Ozpin’s scroll rang. He picked up the call. “Yes.” A pause. “She did what?”


	7. Chapter 7

The lobby doors closed behind them as the brothers looked through the plaza. They immediately noticed more security bots then when they entered. “What could have happened while we were up there?” Daniel mused as Aaron opened his scroll. “Welp, i have good news and bad news.” Aaron announced as they kept walking towards the festival grounds. Daniel groaned. “Ok, good news first.” “It involves your lady friend’s team.”   
Daniel shot Aaron a look. “So what's the bad part?”   
“According to this, her sister got a bit cocky during her fight and broke her opponent’s leg.” “Wait. Who’s her sister? The quiet one next to her at the table?”   
“Nope, the blonde who was calling her away at the end. Apparently she thought he was attacking her but the video doesn’t lie.” Aaron showed his brother the scroll with the video pulled up, as the blonde punched straight through this guy’s leg.  
“That looks painful.” Daniel winced as Aaron pulled his scroll back. “Is he going to be alright?”  
“It doesn’t say. Just that he’s going to a hospital and team RWBY is disqualified.”  
“Is that the final match? I guess we missed a lot while we were up there.”  
“Nope, that was the first of the final rounds. Next up is Pyrrha Nikos vs Penny Polendina when they get done sorting this out.”  
“Maybe I should message Ruby. ask her how things are.”  
Aaron shook his head. “Bad idea. She probably is still freaking out about this. I’d wait a day or so. Not to mention the reporters are bound to be all over her, looking for her point of view.”  
“I guess you’re right. Do you want to find a seat for the next round?”  
“We’re probably going to have to watch from outside, with the amount of people. Maybe let's go to a bar and watch it from there.”  
“Alright, I’m getting hungry anyway.”  
The brothers kept walking towards the inner city as they looked for a place to eat, slowly moving further away from the festival grounds.

They eventually found a smaller bar that wasn’t overly crowded with a large screen up for the festival. Surrounded by others, the brothers ordered some drinks and found a table with a decent view of the screen. “Hey Daniel, did you recognize the blueprints of that robot on the drive? Something seems familiar about it but i didn't get a great look before we left.” Daniel looked at Aaron with confusion. “I thought you’d be happy to not think about that again. What caught your eye?” Aaron shrugged. “I’m not sure, just a feeling I'm getting. Wish i could see it again.” Daniel looked around for a second, then slid his scroll across the table. “Check it again.” Aaron opened the scroll to see all the files from the drive copied onto the phone. “You copied it?” Aaron questioned. “Just in case the drive got stolen or damaged on the way. I was going to delete it when we got home.” Daniel explained. Aaron thought about how this could look terrible on them, but decided to dismiss it. “Alright, but this was a risky move.” Aaron pulled up the robot blueprints and started to look closer. “Here,” he pointed to a blurb next to some engine. “It says aura.” Daniel took a closer look and started to light up. “This is huge, if the plans are functical, then any robot could use aura and it would be self-fixing to an extent. This could be a huge leap in robotics.” Aaron pointed at the top of the blueprint. “Pietro Polendina. Seems to be the brain behind it. Who is he?” “He’s from Atlas. One of the big name scientists. Why does he sound familiar?” The screen in the bar inrupted. “Sorry for the delay folks, but the next match is ready to go! Now sparring, we have Pyrrha Nikos and Penny Polendina facing off!” “Must be his kid.” Daniel shrugged as they turned their attention to the screen. The two ladies were exchanging some words before the fight began. Daniel suddenly had an epiphany. “Aaron, what if this is it?” Aaron was half-paying attention, as the fight began. “What? What’s it?” “Aaron, the drive! The scientist’s kid, the festival grounds, what if it happens now?” Aaron realized what Daniel was implying. “Wait, what happens? We still have no idea how it connects.” Daniel seemed paranoid. “I know, but the scientist’s kid is in the tournament. This seems too coincidental.” Aaron shook his head. “Listen Maggot, she’s doing great. What could possibly happen?” He turned back to the screen just to see Penny get cut in half. 

The bar went from laughing and cheering to quiet mumbles and whispers. The camera stayed on the body while the announcers panicked. “Broadcast, what are you doing? Kill the feed!” A pause. “What!? How is that possible!?” The screen changed over to a red tint with a chess piece. A female voice suddenly came over the screen. “This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference.” Aaron and Daniel shared a shocked look as they realized the scientist’s kid was the robot that the blueprints showed.   
The voice continued. “And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?” The screen suddenly cut out to static, followed by a bright orange caution screen. The voice after gave no better news. “Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner.”


	8. Chapter 8

There was a moment of silence. People slowly absorbed the information this mysterious voice gave them. The moment of silence was cut short by the howls of grimm heard nearby. Aaron snapped to action, equipping his gauntlets and standing on the table. “Any Huntsmen in here?” He was met with silent looks and shaking heads. “Alright, if there is grimm nearby, we have to get everybody to safety. You all know where the bunkers are?” Various murmurs were the response as everyone came to grips with the attack currently happening. One person seemed upset and raised his voice. “So all of a sudden you’re in charge? Why do I gotta listen to a faunus?” Aaron looked at the voice, seeing an older man still holding a pint. “By all means, can you fight a grimm? I’d love to take the day off if you can fight off the beasts outside?” Aaron retorted. The man realized his mistake and sheepishly looked down. Daniel stood up beside Aaron, holding Bootlegger. “I’m Daniel and this is Aaron. We’ll keep you safe. Now we should really go.” They pushed their way to the door. After checking both sides, they gestured to the group to follow. “Daniel, get on comms with someone, anyone. We gotta know what's happening out there. I’ll take front.” Aaron started to walk into the city, leading the 20 or so people, with Daniel taking the end. Daniel established comms and tried to link to the military channel. After a minute of slowly walking, the comms were set. “This is Atlas military channel. Please state your emergency.” Aaron responded. “I have 20 something civilians that need to leave Vale asap.” “Well, so is everyone else. We have air buses coming from in but you’ll have to meet us. These are the drop site cordaneties.” There was a beep as the scroll got the info. “We already lost 2 airships so we can’t spare anyone else.” Aaron grimaced. “Level with me. How bad?” “Not great, but-” The comm was suddenly cut as a large explosion rattled the sky. The group looked up to see a flash of light followed by a boom as the beacon tower fell. Daniel tried to reconnect but found no signal. “They took out the comm tower. We can’t reach anyone.” The group started to panic, but were quickly hushed by Aaron. “Fear attracts grimm. We have a location with a pick-up. We stay calm and we move quickly.” The people were still panicked, but at least they had a plan.

Despite a couple of grimm that were taken care of on the way, they were lucky. The location wasn’t too far away and the brothers even noted that the parking garage they left their truck in was not too far out for themselves afterwards. As they approached the plaza for pick-up. they found another group of people with a huntress standing at the site. “Good to see more huntsmen!” She exhaled. She was a tall, musualcar girl, with fiery red hair going down to her waist. “Fatima Tomo. I assume you’re waiting for the pick-up too?” “I’m Aaron and this is Daniel. To be honest, I was hoping it would be already.” Fatima laughed. “I wish! I hate to be negative, but the whole city isn’t doing great. Lots of ruined robots with the grimm.” As if on queue, some androids came around from the corner. Before Daniel and Aaron could react, Fatima had started running towards them. As they turned the corner, the robots began opening fire on all they saw. “That shop!” Aaron pointed, “Everybody in! Daniel, cover fire!” The people from both groups began running to the shop as Daniel started firing back. Aaron used his semblance and spread his wings, making himself a shield for the people behind him. Fatima was in the group of androids, swinging wildly and smashing any part she could get at. She was wrecking them, and soon all that remained were scraps and sparking parts. Daniel reloaded as he looked around. “I don’t see anything else.” Aaron did a headcount of the groups. Luckily there were no serious injuries, just scrapes and bruises. He turned back to the street as Fatima walked back. “Now the robots are attacking? I thought they were on our side?” Fatima shrugged. “I don’t know. After the explosion at the tower, comms dropped and the robots went wild.” Aaron shook his head. “I’m tired of the surprises, I just want to help these people and get out of here.” Daniel looked around the city and saw an airbus coming in. “I hope that’s ours.” he said, pointing it out to other people around. The air bus was coming in, and finally landed in the plaza. The back doors opened and a soldier stepped out. “Everybody on! We’re on a timer here!” The group rushed out to get on the airbus, with the huntsmen and huntress watching the perimeter. As the people boarded and flew away, some grimm from the sky took note and charged in to attack. “Griffons incoming! Move out!” The air bus started to shut its doors as the huntsmen outside squared up with these flying beasts. “One each, boys. Easy money.” Fatima joked as she set her weapon aflame. “The one on the right is mine.” Aaron checked his dust chambers as he stood next to her. “I think you guys enjoy this too much.” Daniel looked down the barrel of his rifle as the griffons came closer. The beasts screeched as they neared.   
Daniel opened fire first, using dust bullets to form clumps of earth on the center grimm’s torso. It cried in pain as it sunk faster, crashing into the plaza before its kin. The left grimm roared as it came closer. Fatima rushed up to meet it, jumping and striking its beak downward into the ground. The last griffon had landed and was running towards Aaron. Aaron activated his semblance again and stood his ground. As the griffon came up, trying to bite the huntsman, Aaron grabbed its head and shoved it down as the grimm pushed him away. Daniel switched over to piercing bullets and started to open fire as he moved closer to his opponent. The grimm was screaming as bullets started to puncture its hide. Fatima was busy fighting her griffon, currently using her mace to stop its claw from starching her. Aaron was busy punching the beast’s eyes as it pushed him further away and straight into a building. Daniel was closing the distance on his mark as he attached an under-mount shotgun to Bootlegger. As the beast was tearing the rocky masses from its body, Daniel blasted a shotgun blast into the beast’s face. It slumped over, defeated. Fatima was still on the receiving end of her grimm’s onslaught. The grimm suddenly tried to eat her, only to be met by her mace holding its beak open. “Fatima! Duck!” Fatima ducked only to see Aaron fly over her and into the beast’s maw. “What are you doing? Fatima screamed as he disappeared into the abyss-like throat. The Beast tried to close its beak, slowly bending the mace that held it apart. “Fatima! Jump out!” Daniel started to shot at the grimm’s back legs. The beast started to buckle, giving Fatima a chance to jump out, her aura weakened by the contest of strength. The beast started to walk towards her, only jolt the opposite direction. It cried out as a spear of ice came out its side, slowly falling over. The now defeated grimm were slowly dissipating, leaving a battered Aaron laying in the plaza. Daniel ran over and dropped to his knees. “Hey buddy, you can hear me right?” Daniel was quickly checking for vitals, then exhaled when he felt a pulse. Aaron moaned in pain. “Alright, I got you.” Daniel slowly hosted Aaron on his shoulders, carrying him. “Fatima. Can you help us get to our truck? Just in that garage over-” As Daniel pointed to the garage, he realized part of it had caved in and was blocking the entrance. “Just as I thought i could catch a break.” Fatima chuckled and looked around the plaza. “Sure thing Dan, but what about him?” Daniel looked at Fatima with a confused look, then followed her pointing hand to an unconscious man in a white suit where the grimm had just been.


	9. Chapter 9

Aaron groaned as he woke up. He looked around to see a familiar window and his own bedroom. He looked up as he remembered what happened. Beacon Tower exploded, moving the people to an airbus, Griffon attack. He jolted to a sitting position as he was reminded of the battle he had. “Dani-” he started to say before he stopped. The pain was catching up to him as he started moving. The general hurt was bad, but his head ached like there was a grimm punching it. “DAn-'' He tried to say again, only to be met with the same pain from the sound of his own voice. The curtain opened to reveal not Daniel, but Fatima. “You’re awake. You’re also the most reckless fighter I've seen. Who chooses to jump into a Grimm and stab it from the inside?” She scolded him as she sat on a stool near the head of the bed. Aaron looked past her at the door. “Daniel?” He managed to say, wincing at the headache. Fatima stared him down. “No thank you? After I moved all those rocks to get your truck out from the garage, on top of saving you from Vale, you can’t even say thanks?” Aaron scowled, not sure if she was joking or serious. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed, feeling sore but able to walk. He grabbed some pills from the nightstand and crunched them in his mouth. “No thank you for diving into a Grimm to stop it from eating you?” He retorted. “Where’s Daniel?” Fatima rolled her eyes. “He’s in the main room. Dealing with our new guest.” Aaron slowly stood up. “New guest?” Aaron stumbled over to the door, catching himself on the frame. Fatima stood up. “Oh right, you were… out of commission when we found him.” Aaron pushed through the curtain and saw a man laying on his sofa. His bright orange hair was falling off the side of the seat. He had a blanket covering him as he rested. A ruined white suit and a broken cane were on the table next to him, with Daniel looking over them. Daniel looked over and smiled. “Glad you’re ok. How’re you feeling?” Aaron leaned on the counter as he shambled to the fridge. “Tired. Sore. Confused.” Aaron grabbed a carton of juice and drank straight from it. “When did we invite our guests?” Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, Fatima helped lug you and this guy from the plaza to the truck, and helped clean the rubble in the garage so we could leave. I offered her a spot to crash since she helped us out.” Aaron looked at Fatima. “More or less. I can’t exactly go back to my place at Beacon.” Aaron took another swig as he eyed the man on the sofa. “And who’s this guy?” Daniel pointed to the items in front of him. “I was going to look for some ID. Looks familiar but i can’t place him. His weapon is pretty slick. Clearly a professional job.” Aaron looked at the suit and saw a card in the front pocket. He leaned over and picked it up. “Nothing printed on it. Strange.” Fatima looked closer and suddenly snatched it from Aaron’s hand. “Wait, this is a code breaker. Look.” She pulled at part of it, causing the card to open up to reveal a bunch of letters. “I’ve seen these with White Fang members. Helps them keep info on the down-low.” Aaron looked again at the man. There were no animal features to be seen, unless a tail was hidden under the blanket. “He doesn’t seem to be faunus. Why would he need a breaker for a group that he can’t join?” Daniel suddenly snapped to attention and opened his scroll. “That’s where I've seen him!” he said as he opened the copied drive files. He showed a photo and showed his scroll to reveal Torchwick talking with that girl. “Somehow, we got Torchwick passed out on our couch.”

Torchwick woke up on a sofa, not sure how he got there. He had a hole in his memory that wasn’t clearing up. Roman was so buried in his thoughts it took him a second to realize that 3 people were talking in the same room. One of them was arguing with the other about what to do, while another was poking through a suit jacket. Roman’s eyes opened as he realized that was his jacket. He slowly sat up, and realized that he only had underwear on. Before he could fully think of a way out, the bigger man saw him move. The smaller one turned, holding a rifle. The final, a girl, spoke up. “Morning, Torchwick. Care to explain what happened?” Roman looked at them all and yawned. “You’ll have to be specific, dear. I’m afraid i’m a little scatter-brained at the moment.” The girl stood up and grabbed her mace from behind the chair. “How about we start with how you managed to organize an attack to destroy Beacon academy? And I hate pet names. You call me Fatima.” Roman put a finger to his chin, mockingly. “Gee, I don't seem to recall. Last I remember was being in a cell on an airship for my crimes. Really reflecting on my life.” the bigger man stepped around the counter, exposing his wings and gauntlets. “I’m sure you really felt bad, but i’d like to hear what happened after that. Care to recap?” Roman raised an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, little bird, even if i remembered i wouldn't tell some nobodies who kidnapped me. Honestly, the decor here is lacking, even for a hostage home.” The smaller one opened a scroll and played a news report. “It seems the blame for this horrible attack is on Roman Torchwick, who escaped during the attack and seems to have orchated it. Plans for the attack were found at one of his safehouses in Mistral, which was searched.” The little one smirked. “Well, it seems like everyone can agree it was you.” Roman groaned. “You’re like my ex-wife, just because it’s on the news doesn’t mean it’s true.” Roman rubbed his head as things cleared up. He broke out of the cell, fought little Red on the airship, Neo flew away-. “Help me out here, where did you find me? Because I have a hole in my memory I can't seem to fill.” The bird man responded. “Inside a Griffon’s stomach, you’d be dead if we hadn’t killed it. So I think that deserves some answers.” Griffon? That makes sense, but if he was supposed to be dead… “Hold on,” Roman thought aloud “It was a set-up. I was the fall guy.” He slumped against the back of the couch. Fatima narrowed her eyes. “Apparently he remembers enough to blame someone else! Why didn’t I think of it? Classic.” Roman thought more, then looked up and the younger man. “You. Look up the name ‘Cinder Fall’. Also ‘Neapolitan’.” The younger man scoffed. “First off, Name’s Daniel. Second, why are you suddenly hungry for ice cream?” Roman looked at the bird faunus. “Forget the ice cream then. Hey bird-brain, get your goon here to look that up for me.” The faunus clenched a fist. “Aaron. And he’s not my goon. Or yours. If you want to know something so bad, why not explain to us why you need to know.” Roman groaned. “I just said i was the fall guy. Who do you think paid me to do things? If she doesn’t come up on the search, it means she did it. Blamed an entire academy burning to the ground on me.” Aaron nodded to Daniel, who began to search. “Nothing but theory sites. Something about a Dust Mage?” Roman laughed. “Wrong, but not by much.” Roman smirked. “There you go kids! Your big bad guy to chase. Are you happy?”


	10. Chapter 10

“What’s your take?” Fatima finally asked. She had pulled away Aaron into the workshop to discuss the story that Torchwick had given them. Daniel had stayed in the room, just to be sure their ‘guest’ didn’t do anything crazy. Aaron sighed, “Honestly? Something feels off. I don’t know about his story, but why would Torchwick attack Vale and Beacon?” Fatima looked confused. “Because he’s a criminal? He’s already attacked once, and he’s been stealing dust before that.” Aaron started to pull up the files from the drive on Daniel’s computer. “Look at this though.” Aaron pulled up the photos of Torchwick talking to the mysterious girl. “This woman, no one knows who she is, but she’s talking to Torchwick.” Fatima narrowed her eyes. “Why do you have photos of him with a mystery woman?” “Oh right, long story but these are from a White Fang member trying to stop Torchwick. Why would Torchwick be with a faunus group when he has no stake with them?” Fatima looked through the files. “Look, Cinder!” She pointed at a photo of a note, laying on a desk of papers. Aaron full-screened the photo, reading it aloud. “Phase 3 will start soon. Once Cinder does her part, things will proceed from there. Emerald and Mercury will be with her, so once it happens, no loose ends. Plans will proceed based on the outcome.” The two looked at each other as Torchwick’s story seemed to fall into place.

Daniel held Bootlegger as he watched Torchwick. The criminal seemed to be deep in thought, not paying attention to him at all. Fatima and Aaron had gone to the workshop to talk about what to do now. Daniel looked over to Torchwick’s things, hoping to see something that tied his story together, but saw the same broken weapon and torn clothes. “So... “ Daniel started, “Any proof for your story. About this Cinder?” Torchwick ignored him and stared off into the distance. “Real talkative.” Daniel sighed as he stood up. He stepped over to the table, looking closer at Torchwick’s items. “Maybe something in here? Scroll is broken, but maybe you have a backup?” Daniel dug through the pockets, finding scraps of fabric and some loose lien. “Come on man, work with me here. If you got paid to do this, surely you’re not happy about being the fall guy?” Daniel tried to appeal to Torchwick. Torchwick finally responded. “No.” Daniel looked back to Torchwick, seeing him still trying to piece together his thoughts. “Ok, so all I'm looking for is proof of this Cinder to show people. Surely you must have something.” Torchwick finally looked up. “Why do you want this? What’s your goal?” Daniel looked confused. “What do you mean?” “No one is really this selfless. Are you looking for power? Money? Respect?” Daniel thought for a second. “Money would be nice, maybe some respect. But mostly concern for the people who can’t help themselves.” Torchwick smirked. “You’re such a goodie-goodie. Those same people wouldn’t give a shit if you died looking for the true culprit. Especially a second-class faunus.” Daniel frowned. “You’re probably right. But someone has to be the bigger person, or else nothing gets done.” Torchwick groaned, “They really drilled the whole ‘hero’ thing into your head.” A moment of silence. “I have proof. But I have conditions. Grab me some clothes, get your gang back together and we’ll negotiate.”

Torchwick was now dressed in some older clothes from Aaron. A grey sportscoat, white button-up, and black pants were ill-fitting but worked for now. He cleared his throat as he addressed the three others. “I’ve thought about it, and I can find you proof of Cinder and the rest of her plans. But I need some things before we start.” Aaron narrowed his eyes, expecting the worst. “First, we can’t be talking to any authority before I get you the evidence. I don’t need to go back to jail before I can get your information. Second, my weapon needs to be reforged. Hopefully you can do a decent job. Third, i need a phone call before we leave.” Fatima laughed. “You haven’t even mentioned where or what this evidence is and you already have demands?” Daniel nodded along. “We need more info before we do anything.” Torchwick frowned. “You think i would pull jobs like this and not keep receipts? I have a safe house in Vacuo. You guys get me there and you can get all the info I have. Cinder, her little menecaries, her plans, anything I've put to memory, it’s all there.” Aaron glared at him. “Assuming this is true, you want us to take you to the middle of nowhere and then what?” “I disappear, and you guys find a lot of information.” “Disappear?” “Yes, birdy. I need to get off the radar of the authorities, which means after this little trip, I will go away.” Aaron scowled at the nickname, but stayed still. Fatima spoke up. “Seems about right. And you need your weapon back too?” Torchwick nodded. “Lots of ground between here and there. Never want to be unprepared.” Daniel questioned next. “And this phone call? Who do you need to talk to?” Torchwick shook a finger. “That’s between me and them. Nothing to do with our trip.” “How do we know you won’t betray us? Calling a crew to get you or ditching us in some backwoods forest?” Torchwick shook his head. “I realized being ‘dead’ means I can get back underground much easier. No need for a crew when you goons can help me for some information I already have. I may be a ‘criminal’, as you say, but I'm also a man of my word.” Aaron looked to the others. “Give us a minute to decide.” Torchwick nodded. “I’ll go relieve myself while you decide.” he walked to the bathroom and the door shut behind him. Aaron looked at Daniel and Fatima. “Thoughts?” Daniel nodded. “I think we should go.” Aaron nodded back. “I agree.” Fatima looked surprised. “That easily? No big discussion?” Aaron gestured to her, waiting for her thoughts. “I don’t trust him. Even though it’s three on one if he tries something, i don't like this.” Aaron nodded. “I agree, but what happens if we say no? We get no answers and the attack is dropped as they caught the man behind it.” “This is the sort of thing that Huntsman and Huntresses do all the time.” Daniel added. “Just an escort job with some extra threads.” Fatima thought for a minute. “Fine. I guess I’ll stick with you guys for now. If only to watch out for any double-cross.” The toilet sounded from the other room as Torchwick opened the door, shaking water off his hands. “We’re in.” Fatima said. Daniel and Aaron nodded behind her. Torchwick picked up the broken weapon off the table and tossed it at Daniel. “About time. The sooner this gets fixed, the sooner we can leave.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Daniel, how are we doing?” Daniel turned from working on Torchwick’s weapon, which he called Melodic Cudgel. “Almost done, just fine-tuning the wires.” Daniel said. “Should be done in 10 minutes.” It had been a day since they agreed to help Torchwick, and they were almost ready to go. “Did you get the truck ready?” Aaron nodded. “Oil changed, full of gas. Just need to get the others and we’ll be ready.” Daniel gave a thumbs up and turned back to the weapon. Aaron went through the door to the living room and saw Fatima cleaning her weapon with a rag. “Daniel says 10 minutes till he’s done. How’s it looking for you?” Fatima shrugged. “Ready whenever, just wiping down Meteor Go-Go.” Aaron looked around. “Where’s Torchwick?” “Storage room, he’s trying to call them still.” Fatima said without looking up. Aaron groaned. Torchwick couldn’t reach whoever it was he was calling to call, and apparently was trying again before they left. He walked over to the storage room and started to open the door then stopped. He heard Torchwick talking and decided to listen in. “Please kid, i’m begging you. If you’re out there… just be safe.” Torchwick sighed and shut the scroll. Aaron opened the door. “Daniel says about 5 minutes before your cane is ready.” Torchwick nodded, and tossed the scroll at Aaron. “About time, hopefully he doesn’t mess with the balance.” He pushed Aaron aside and walked to the workshop. Aaron was confused, but decided not to press Torchwick about the call for now. He followed Torchwick into the workshop, watching as he picked up the weapon from the table. “This is a decent job, for an amutaer.” Torchwick balanced the cane on his palm, tilting it back and forth. “Kept the balance at least.” Daniel shot him a look, but stayed silent. Torchwick looked at Aaron. “Well. Gather the crew. Let’s go.” He said in a snarky tone. Aaron clenched a fist. Without looking away from Torchwick, he told Daniel to get Fatima and their stuff. Daniel walked out of the shop and into the home. “First thing. You are not in charge here. My house, my truck, my rules.” Aaron stated. Torchwick gave him a bored look, but nodded. “Second, who were you trying to call? If you need to be on the down low, why are you talking to people?” Torchwick laughed. “I thought you were eavesdropping on me. What did you hear?” “Something about a kid and being safe.” Aaron responded. Torchwick sighed. “One of my lackeys. She was on the same airship as me during the attack. Just checking in on her.” Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Only a lackey? Then why are you so concerned about her?” Torchwick straightened up. “My business, not yours.” Torchwick tried to turn away but Aaron grabbed his shoulder. “When my brother and I are at risk, it becomes my business.” Torchwick tried to wiggle out of the hold, but Aaron just gripped tighter. “If this comes around to hurt anyone, or you betray us, I will personally hunt you down.” Aaron threatened. Torchwick scoffed. “If you’re looking for a rival, you’ll have to get in line.” Torchwick suddenly dropped his cane hook around Aaron’s leg and pulled. Aaron lost his grip and fell on the ground. He looked up only to see the barrel of the cane open and point right at him. “Kid, I outclass you in every way. But I still need manpower to get to my safehouse. As long as you benefit me, you don’t have to worry about any double-cross.” Torchwick closed the barrel and walked towards the front door. “Come on now, we really should be going.” He taunted, stepping out the door.

Aaron stood up as Fatima and Daniel entered the shop. “Where’s Torchwick?” Fatima asked as she stepped through. “He… got tired of waiting. He went out to the truck.” Aaron half-lied. Daniel shrugged, “Well, we’re ready now.” Aaron looked to Fatima. “Last chance. We’re not going to force you to come with us.” He warned. Fatima chuckled. “It's not like I can just go home. Besides it’s nice to have a team again.” Aaron raised an eyebrow. “I guess we never asked about you. You just happened to show up and help us out.” Fatima shrugged. “Heat of the moment. It’s hard to give your life story while fighting off Grimm.” She held out her hand. “Fatima Tomo. Huntress.” Aaron shook it. “Aaron and Daniel Black. Huntsmen.” Daniel shook her hand after Aaron. “If you don’t mind, what happened to your old team?” Fatima frowned. “I don’t like to talk about it. Mission gone wrong. You can guess the rest.” Daniel nodded. “Sorry.” Fatima shrugged and smiled again. “You couldn't have known. Besides, we should get going.” As if on cue, the truck horn blared from outside. The group stepped outside to see Torchwick in the passenger seat holding his cane against the horn. Fatima and Daniel started to walk towards the truck, as Aaron took one last look at his home. “This is going to be one hell of a road trip…” he muttered to himself as he followed after his brother and his new ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of what I had written. Maybe I'll keep going if I rewrite it? we'll see


End file.
